The present invention is generally related to medical devices and apparatus. In particular, the invention provides systems, methods, devices, and kits for treating a patient's ear. In one embodiment, the invention provides a system and method for myringotomy with or without tympanostomy tube placement.
Otitis media is among the most common diagnosis made by pediatricians. A majority of children may have at least one episode of otitis media (“earache”) prior to their third birthday. Otitis media is often caused by an inability of the eustachian tube to drain fluid from the middle ear. Otitis media is often treated with antibiotics.
A significant number of children exhibit recurrent episodes of otitis media and/or otitis media with effusion. Treatment of these more severe cases often involves the placement of a tympanostomy tube through the tympanic membrane so as to provide adequate drainage of the middle ear and reduce the likelihood of future infections. Tympanostomy tubes provide fluid communication between the middle and outer ear, and typically fall out spontaneously within about a year of placement. Tympanostomy tube placement is among the most common surgical procedures performed in the pediatric population. It has been estimated that more than a million tympanostomy tubes may be placed each year, with typical patients being between about 18 months and 3 years of age at the time of the procedure.
Tympanostomy tube placement is typically performed in an out-patient surgery setting under general anesthesia. The external auditory canal and tympanic membrane are examined under microscopic visualization through a hand-held conical shaped speculum. An incision or myringotomy is made in the tympanic membrane, typically using an elongate, small profile scalpel which the physician extends through the conical speculum. Fluid may be aspirated through the myringotomy, and a tympanostomy tube is placed so as to extend through the tympanic membrane.
A wide variety of tympanostomy tubes are commercially available, and a still wider variety of others tubes have been proposed. A number of systems have been proposed to both perform the myringotomy and deploy the tympanostomy tube with a single treatment assembly. In recent years, more complex and expensive systems have been proposed for diagnosis or treatment of the tissues of the ear, including systems using laser energy for forming a myringotomy, video systems for imaging of the ear canal, and the like. These various alternatives have, not surprisingly, been met with varying degrees of acceptance.
A standard tympanostomy tube placement procedure is both effective and quite safe. Nonetheless, further improvements would be desirable. In particular, there are both risks and costs associated with out-patient surgical procedures performed under general anesthesia. For example, a significant portion of the risk and cost of tympanostomy tube placement is associated with the administration of general anesthesia, i.e., the need for an operating room, the presence of an anesthesiologist, and related recovery room time.
In light of the above, it would be desirable to provide improved devices, systems, methods, and kits for treatment of the tissue structures within the auditory canal. It would generally be beneficial if these improvements facilitated myringotomy with or without tympanostomy tube placement without having to resort to general anesthesia, thereby allowing these common procedures to be performed in a doctor's office (rather than in an outpatient surgical facility). It would be further beneficial to maintain or enhance the physician's control over the procedure by, for example, allowing verification of intended and actual tympanostomy tube placement location, enhanced viewing and control, and improved safety. It would further be desirable if these improvements could be provided while decreasing the overall procedure time, and ideally, at a reduced overall procedure cost.